The Lost Tower Alternate Ending
by whoeverIamloves
Summary: Alternate ending (probably a two-shot) for the 4th Shippuden movie, The Lost Tower. If you haven't seen it, go watch it! "Must we say goodbye?" "I'm sure that the time will come when we meet again." "If I don't say it now, I'll never get another chance—" "24 hours. One day. That's all."


I fangirled so hard over the fourth Shippuden movie when I watched it a few weeks ago! I was so stoked to see Minato in action finally do something other than die, and I was soooooo disappointed when the time with him was over! Thus, I decided to make this alternate ending. :) I was going to make this a one-shot, but I'm losing steam on it for the time being and I'm really eager to share as much as I have. Therefore, I think it's going to be a two-shot.

**This alternate ending assumes that sending Naruto and Yamato back to their own time was not an automatic result of defeating Mukade, but rather was simply made possible by defeating him**. The "sending back" part is a separate space-time jutsu that Minato would have considered and prepared before the moment of the defeat. NARUTO AND YAMATO DON'T START GLOWING AND DISAPPEAR ON THEIR OWN. This alternate ending pics up about the time that happens in the movie.

**Timeline explanation**: I had trouble figuring out exactly where on the timeline this movie occurs. I'm assuming he doesn't have his Sage Mode yet, and so hasn't had the encounters from that or beyond. But I'm also assuming that he knows the fourth hokage was his father, because I can't remember when he learns that for sure, and I think maybe he would just figure it out for sure through the course of this movie if he didn't already know.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing and my only profit is satisfaction. (Which increases exponentially with reviews. Just sayin.)

* * *

"Unfortunately, it's time for us to part." Minato interrupted Naruto before he could finish asking his question to Yamato.

"It can't be. Must we say goodbye?" Sara asked, looking at Naruto with large, disappointed eyes as he looked at Minato with the same expression.

"Uh… yeah," Naruto said. So far the guy seemed to know what was best…right? "Sara, you've done well with what you had to do. You're already an excellent queen. You'll be fine without us."

"I'll never forget about you, Naruto!"

"It would be best to erase all memories of these events, in order to preserve history," Minato interrupted again just as Shibi and Chouza joined the group, the Aburame still supporting the larger man. "I'll perform a jutsu that will make us forget about each other, okay?"

"No, hang on a minute!" Naruto said. "Before we do that, you said that you would hear me out!"

"Yes. But now is not the time. I'm sure that the time will come when we meet again."

"No way! I have something I want to tell you! If I don't say it now, I'll never get another chance—"

"I am sure that someday, I'll be able to listen to you."

"That time isn't coming! I'm from the future and I'm telling you I'll never see you again like this, because you and Mom died on the day I was born!"

Minato stalled. He looked from his future son to the man who could use Wood Jutsu, and the man gave a single solemn nod.

"The timeline…If we learn things about each other that we shouldn't, the future you know could change drastically. You might even cease to exist."

Naruto dropped to his knees to be on the same eye level as the man he'd finally realized was his father. "You can still erase everything. Just give me an hour! or half an hour! or five minutes!" He swallowed. "Please, Dad. Please let me know you, just a little bit, even if I have to forget again afterwards!"

"Minato-san," Shibi said in a low voice when the silence began to stretch, "new information for them won't change our present or their past."

"And their future?" Minato's tone echoed Shibi's.

"Knowing a father's love when you never have before…is that such a dangerous thing?"

Minato made a conscious effort not to look at Kakashi. Growing up without…without knowing. Without understanding. Naruto was the opposite of Kakashi, from what little he'd seen today, but…how much pain did he go through because he didn't have his parents? _Because Kushina and I won't be able to be there for him? _He closed his eyes. _Kushina…what would she have me say to our son?_

Sara added her thoughts to the mix. "My people will want to thank all of you for everything you've done. We'd be happy to put you up for the night, and I'm sure we'll find a way to have a great feast…if not tonight, then first thing tomorrow," she offered hopefully. "It would really boost morale here for the work we have ahead of us."

Minato tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "Chouza," he prompted.

"You should give your son this gift. It may well be your only chance, from the sounds of things," the Akamichi said, then he took on a much lighter tone. "Besides, the lady said a feast!"

"Sensei, what about the rules?" Kakashi finally asked in a pained voice.

Minato smiled weakly at his student. "I've told you, sometimes you have to cope with the situation. Sometimes…rules conflict with each other."

Kakashi snorted and crossed his arms, and Minato took a deep breath. "I'll still have to erase our memories," he gestured to the team he'd brought with him, "when it's time to part."

Naruto broke into a grin and jumped into the air, and Kakashi rolled his eyes as Minato stood up. As soon as Naruto landed, he threw his arms around him in a huge bear hug that knocked them both a little off balance. Minato blinked, then returned it and felt Naruto's fingers dig into his back like he just couldn't believe he was really actually able to touch his father.

"24 hours," he whispered. "One day. That's all." Everyone nodded, most of them smiling gently or grinning hugely.

* * *

Four and a half hours later, all 6 Konoha shinobi stood before a set of large double doors Sara had led them to. They'd had dinner with the rest of the townspeople after a quick search to find the non-damaged food storage areas in the palace, and because the Ryuumyaku had been helping to preserve a good deal of it, they found that a feast actually was rather necessary to avoid letting it go bad.

Once dinner had been found, prepared, and eaten, and many speeches given in honor of everyone's hard work and courage, Sara had shown the shinobi to the private suite. In the center of the sitting room, there was a low table, surrounded by plush cushions, which was laid with rich desserts and fruit of every kind.

"Whoa, all this was in the palace storage? No wonder Mukade got so fat!" Naruto exclaimed as soon as he caught a glimpse of all the sweets. Everyone chuckled, and Chouza's eyes sparkled.

Minato turned to Sara. "Your highness, you've done too much," he told her with a smile. "All this…your people are an amazing group."

"It's we who can't thank you enough, Minato-san. If you hadn't shown me the truth about…about that man, we would all still be his puppets." He took her hand in his and bowed to it in the traditional style, and she dipped her head slightly in return. Then she turned to Naruto. "And Naruto, thank you so much for helping me find my courage." To everyone's surprise, she rose up on her toes and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek, then blushed and took a couple of steps back from the group. "I'll say goodnight now, gentlemen. Rest well." With that, she turned away from them and briskly started walking back toward the sound of music and loud, cheerful voices.

The sound of the doors closing seemed to pull Naruto back to himself, and he grinned sheepishly when he realized Minato had caught him staring after Sara.

"Redheads, huh?" Minato sighed knowingly. "You could still go back and dance with her," he teased.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger at the taller blond. "Hey, are you still trying to get out of hearing me out?" he said with a not-so-masked edge of suspicion in his voice.

Minato grinned. "Not at all," he said, slinging an arm around Naruto's shoulders and leading him into the room. "I just know about redheads…you save 'em once, give 'em a couple compliments, and the next thing you know they're harassing you to pick up the laundry off the floor and fold the towels and put the dishes away," he said with a happy, faraway expression.

"You're saying that like you don't enjoy being henpecked!" Chouza joked from his spot near the middle of the table between bites of pastry. "Man, you and Shikaku..." he trailed off as he selected his next after-dinner treat.

Minato laughed again. "Hey, don't knock it till you try it…How do you have any room left for dessert?"

"Don't knock it till you try it," Chouza shot back around a mouthful of dragon fruit.

By this time, Naruto and Minato had taken spots at the table beside each other, with Yamato across from Naruto and Shibi across from Chouza. Kakashi had announced that he would be in the sleeping area, and Minato had dismissed him accordingly.

"So, Naruto." Minato turned his gaze back to the boisterous teen beside him. "You learned Rasengan."

Naruto grinned. "Heck yeah I did, and I finished it!"

All eyes looked to him, and Minato's mouth opened slightly of its own volition. "You…finished it? As in, you completed it?"

"Yeah. Yeah! I did! I got some tips on using wind style from Asuma-sensei, and then I trained with Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taicho to work on developing my Wind Style jutsu, and then I created Wind Style Rasen-Shiruken!"

Minato blinked and then started to laugh in disbelief. "Rasen-Shiruken. Huh. You couldn't have found a more impressive name for it?" Chouza and Shibi glanced at each other, eyes wide, and then Naruto continued.

"But, ah, Granny Tsunade said I can't use it ever again." Silence fell around the table.

"Why is that?" Minato asked, and Naruto scrunched his face and looked at his right hand.

"She said it damages my own arm too. Something about the chakra cutting chakra, and she can't fix that kind of damage."

"I see. Then I guess it can't be helped—you'll just have to develop a newer, stronger technique," he said with half his mouth already smiling. This time all three of the other men exchanged a glance, and Minato changed topics with another smile, this one with a twinge of amused disbelief. "Tsunade-hime lets you call her 'Granny'?"

Yamato spoke first. "I don't think it's a matter of 'letting' him," he said. "He just does, and he's the only one she has a soft spot for. And she does still occasionally beat him for it."

Minato popped a grape into his mouth. "And why is that?" he asked, resigning himself in advance to be surprised by the answer.

"Because when Ero-Sennin and I went to find her, I'm who convinced her to be Hokage until I'm ready to replace her!"

Minato blinked again. And then again. Then he burst out laughing, dropping the handful of grapes he'd had in his hand onto the table. "Ero-Sennin? Tell me that's—No, don't tell me!" he managed to say between breaths of laughter. "That's got to be…You and Jiraya-sensei went on a mission together? To recruit a Hokage? And now you call him Pervy Sage?"

Naruto beamed. "Yep. And we found her drunk in a bar, and she beat me up and then decided to take the job!"

Minato had stopped laughing by now, and he tried his best to sound like a stern father, though he knew it was no good because he could still feel himself grinning. "You shouldn't call him that. It's disrespectful."

Naruto just shrugged. "He dragged me all over the countryside when we were off training, always trying to get to the next bathhouse or hot springs or brothel or shady town. He wasted so much time on his stupid 'research,' I think it's fair."

Now Minato was not smiling anymore. "He took you to all those places? And you're…what, just now 16?"

"I'm 17 now," Naruto informed him, then shrugged again. "And I whined about it too, but at least he was training me along the way."

Minato shook his head and looked at the ceiling. "Your mother would mount his head above the fireplace if she knew that."

"It's too late for that," Naruto said, suddenly serious. "He's…he was killed in a battle."

Minato looked at Naruto, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Jiraya-sensei could die like any other shinobi. He'd always thought the man would die of boredom or heartbreak or some other dramatic but non-violent manner. "Were you with him?" he asked gently.

"No. I would have gone, but he didn't tell me he was leaving. He didn't tell anyone he was leaving, except Granny Tsunade."

Minato nodded slowly, turning a lychee fruit slowly in his fingers.

"He sent me a message, though. A code he knew only I could read, since I'd read his manuscripts."

Minato smiled sadly at that. "Information he died for," he said.

"Yeah, I guess so. That kind of thing is exactly why I'm going to become Hokage."

Minato's eyebrows rose yet again. "What exactly?"

"Nobody should have to die because of hate and war. Sacrifices like Ero-Sennin's shouldn't be needed, and when I'm Hokage I'm going to make everybody see that." He looked sharply at Minato. "Sacrifices like yours and Mom's." His eyes focused somewhere beyond the wall of the room. "Nobody should have to grow up alone or lose someone they love, just because of hate."

Minato felt his chest contract. This shinobi life…ironically, it was all about love and hate, no matter how much he hated that fact. Hate the people who hurt whoever you love, hurt others to defend yourself and your village, love the people who you hurt and hurt the people you love. Or would love, if you lived long enough to know them. As he looked at the young man beside him—his son, he reminded himself—his heart swelled with pride at who he'd become and regret at not being able to see it firsthand.

"Naruto…I hope I can be half as good of a Hokage as you're going to be."

Naruto grinned, breaking the moment. "I know you and Mom loved me. I know you died to protect the people you loved, and everything you did was for the village and for me, and that's how I'm going to live too." Naruto's hand rose from the floor and began to drift absently toward his abdomen. "Even this—"

He was cut off by a wooden hand over his mouth, stretched across the table from Yamato's sleeve. All eyes turned to the wood user.

"Not that topic, Naruto."

"Brrffrrrffb!" Naruto tried to protest, but Yamato didn't release him to speak yet. Instead, his eyes shifted to Minato as he explained to Naruto.

"You're already putting a lot of pressure on your father to listen to everything you say, knowing he won't be able to take it home with him."

Naruto blinked and looked at Minato, who was still staring at Yamato.

"The more you tell him, the harder it's going to be for him to erase his team's memories like he has to."

Minato tried to think of what, compared to all the things he'd already heard about his son's life, could possibly make it more difficult for him to walk away in 19 hours' time with fully sealed memories. Unable to think of anything, but noting the serious expression on the man's face and the way Naruto seemed to actually be listening to him, Minato nodded.

"Fair enough," he finally said. "Naruto, your captain's probably right. Whatever it was that you were about to say, I think it's something that I probably shouldn't know. Even for a short time. I'm sorry."

Naruto closed his eyes slowly, and then opened them. He looked once more at Yamato and then again at his father, then nodded to Yamato to let him know he accepted the restriction.

Once Yamato drew the branches back into his sleeve and his hand returned to normal, Naruto remembered the mention of his mother and a question he'd always wished for the answer to came back to him. "Hey Dad!" he burst out, the disappointment from seconds ago already left behind.

Minato blinked at the whiplash of the teen's emotions. "Um, yeah?" he asked, already smiling again.

"Is Mom a good cook?"

Minato grinned. "The best, if you ask me. Anything she cooks is the best thing in the world to come home to." Then he scrunched one side of his face ruefully. "But I'm not a very objective judge, I'm afraid. Dinner guests rarely ask for seconds."

"What about ramen? Does she make good ramen?"

Minato laughed heartily. "You would ask about that. It's her favorite food too."

Naruto's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "If she's a great cook, and her favorite food is ramen, I bet she makes awesome ramen! I bet it's almost as good as Ichiraku's!"

Minato lowered his voice and raised his eyebrow. "Your mother's ramen is _way_ better than Ichiraku's ramen."

Naruto's eyes got even bigger. "Whoa…you mean…but…that's not possible! Old man Teuchi makes the best ramen on the whole planet!"

"You only think that because you've never tried Kushina's ramen." Minato's confident grin faded to a faint, sad smile as he realized what he was saying. His son would never have the chance to try her homemade cooking, and Kushina would never get the chance to share her favorite food with her son. _Our son,_ he reminded himself yet again.

While Minato seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment, Naruto looked around and noticed that the seats previously occupied by Chouza and Shibi were now empty.

"Hey, where'd the other guys go?" he asked.

Minato snapped himself back to the present, then raised an eyebrow and looked at Yamato out of the corner of his eye. Yamato made a small but dramatic gesture with his hands as if to say "I don't know why he doesn't pay attention to these things."

"They left us a little while ago, probably in sugar comas," the future Fourth Hokage said. "The sweets were probably really good for Chouza, because food helps restore the Akimichi clan's health much faster than other people, but Shibi was still worn out and it probably made his bugs a little extra jittery," Minato explained with a small smile. "They've probably both gone to bed to recuperate from all of today's events."

"I think I'm going to leave you two as well. It's getting late."

"Goodnight, Yamato-taicho!"

"Yamato-san," Minato said with a nod, and Yamato returned the gesture before letting himself quietly into the other room.

Once he was gone, Minato turned back to Naruto and propped himself on his side against some cushions, and Naruto followed his lead.

"So. Tell me about your team," Minato said, curiosity showing in his smile now that he could give Naruto his undivided attention. Naruto grinned.

Naruto and Minato stayed up late into the wee hours of the morning chatting about their teams. Naruto told his father about how Team 7 had been his first friends; about Sakura's beautiful pink hair and scary temper and drive to become the best medic nin since Tsunade; about Kakashi's bad habits of being late and always disappearing when it was time to pay the bill at Ichiraku; about the story of Sasuke's leaving to study under the rogue ninja Orochimaru; about Yamato's super-intimidating flashlight-face and ghost stories; about Sai's insulting nicknames for everyone and (grudgingly) his useful ink jutsus.

Minato told Naruto about the team he'd been on as a genin (much to Naruto's disappointment, he'd refused to talk about Kakashi out of respect for the older version of the cranky young chuunin); about meeting Kushina and how no other girl had ever entered his thoughts after he'd seen her; about learning sealing techniques from her and how she pushed him to perfect every brush stroke to become almost as good at them as she was, scolding him for being a poor student one moment and bringing him homemade study snacks the next.

* * *

"Yamato-san," Minato greeted the wood user as he stood up from his early morning meditation. Minato had just emerged from the bedroom with still-mussed hair and tired eyes. He joined Yamato on the balcony and squinted against the dawn's light. Naruto was still snoring away in the sitting room where he'd fallen asleep mid-sentence only a couple of hours ago, and the other two jounin were still asleep in the bedroom. Kakashi was gone, presumably already out on the early morning scout of the city as he'd mentioned the night before.

"Sir," Yamato answered with a friendly nod of his head.

Minato ran his hand through his hair. "I haven't become Hokage yet," he said. "Just my name is fine." He took a deep breath of the crisp air. "I also haven't become a father yet," he muttered, moving to prop himself against the railing that overlooked the city. "But suddenly I have a 17-year-old son who's already surpassing me, and looking to me for guidance I won't be around to give him and a legacy that I haven't even built yet."

Yamato stepped forward to join Minato at the railing. "Do you regret staying the extra day?" Yamato asked.

Minato closed his eyes and shook his head. "No," he said without missing a beat. "Even if it's hard for me to wrap my head around, he is still my son, and Kushina's. I would give my life for him…and something tells me that's exactly what's going to happen." He kept his eyes closed to keep himself from looking to Yamato for confirmation. "And even knowing that, I don't regret it. I'd do it once for any Konoha shinobi; I'd do it a thousand times for him. But this may be my only chance to actually give him a part of my life in addition to my death."

Minato finally opened his eyes, and the two men stood in silence for several long moments looking out over the destroyed but finally peaceful city.

"Can I ask you something, as his captain?"

Yamato nodded. "I'll answer if I can."

"What are his strengths? His weaknesses?"

"His greatest strength is his heart," Yamato answered, and Minato thought immediately of Jiraiya. "You saw his determination yesterday in the battle; it's no different off the battlefield. He's really something else…he makes friends of everyone he meets, and causes everyone to believe in him."

Minato smiled. "I can see why," he said. "His jutsus seem pretty impressive too, from what I've seen."

Yamato nodded again. "They are. He's a powerful shinobi already. He hasn't surpassed you yet, Yondaime, but everyone who knows him believes he will one day."

Minato shrugged with his eyebrows and let out a smiling sigh. "I haven't even written my own future yet, and he's already overshadowing me? I guess that should make any father proud, right?"

"He's still got a long way to go. Your name is not one to be easily overshadowed, even by your own son."

Minato kept silent, not quite sure how to respond to such high honor that he hadn't even earned yet.

"As for his weaknesses…sometimes, his biggest weakness is also a great strength," Yamato said diplomatically, and Minato raised a yellow eyebrow.

"You don't have to sugarcoat anything," he said.

Yamato waved a hand dismissively. "I'm being honest. He's a very straightforward person." Now Minato thought of Kushina. It was starting to make sense how a weakness could also be a strength, and vice versa. "That trait is exactly what helps him turn all his enemies into his friends. But it also eliminates the whole concept of trick battle strategy." Yamato's expression turned into what could almost—if he wasn't ANBU—be called a pout. "And reasoning with him or trying to get him to understand strategy or the theory of anything is…" Yamato paused to scratch his head. "Well, it's a bit of a battle in itself. He's simply not interested in those things, so they're very difficult for him."

Minato nodded, turning the information over in his mind. He'd always hoped if he had a child, he or she would be as eager to learn new information and understand things as he was. From Naruto's difficulty in grasping the whole concept of the time travel jutsu, though, he'd already started to suspect that Naruto was more of a doer than a thinker. That clearly hadn't slowed him down any in his training, though, and he definitely had the most important characteristic of a good shinobi and a good man—the heart for his teammates and also for his opponents.

"Then I have to trust you and Kakashi and the rest of his team to help him in that area," Minato finally said.

Yamato nodded again. "And the rest of his age group as well. There are some truly gifted young shinobi in the future."

"Thank you for being honest with me," Minato said, then continued before Yamato could respond. "Let me ask you something else."

Yamato stayed silent and waited.

"Is there any reason I shouldn't train with Naruto today if he asks me?"

Yamato took a moment to scan the now fully light skyline of the city, and Minato knew he could feel the real question under the words. _Will I learn what I shouldn't if I spar with him today?_

"You shouldn't let him push himself too hard," Yamato said after careful consideration. "He heals very quickly, but he's probably still tired from yesterday."

"That would be his Uzumaki blood."

Yamato nodded, and Minato studied his habitual poker face.

"Are you telling me he can't handle it?"

"I have no doubt that he could handle it, and will even beg you to push him harder if you do train him. That's his training style."

Minato smirked. _Sounds like a couple of other people I know._

"But if he pushes too hard, there will be negative side effects considering the current situation. Don't let him use any more than 4 shadow clones at a time, especially if you're teaching him something new."

Minato studied the wood user beside him. There was only one reason he could think of that a wood user would just 'coincidentally' be assigned to the powerful child of a deceased Uzumaki jinchuriki—he hadn't meant to lie awake thinking about it when he'd finally gone to bed, but his mind refused to let the matter go no matter how much he wanted to simply dismiss the idea. He pushed it aside for the time being, determined to keep himself from confirming the fear.

"I see," he finally said. "Four is the limit today, then. Will you be with us if we train?"

"I don't think so. As long as he observes the restriction, everything should be fine. I think I should help the townspeople get organized. I can be of particular use if they want to start rebuilding here."

Minato nodded. "I have one more question for you," he said, and Yamato turned to face him. "It's about Kakashi."

Yamato gave a nod and waited.

"In the time you came from, is he…" Minato frowned, then changed his wording. "How's his heart?"

Yamato thought back through all the time he'd known Kakashi. The brat he'd seen on this mission was strikingly different from the personality he knew the young version of himself would meet in just a couple of years. "Deeply scarred," Yamato told his friend's sensei cryptically, "but always dedicated first and foremost to his comrades."

Minato blinked. The scarred part he could believe. That was already true of him, and no doubt as he grew up, he'd lose more important people. _That's just the way this shinobi life is._ The loyal part, though…that didn't sound like Kakashi; that sounded more like Obito, and so did Naruto's description from the night before when he'd commented on Kakashi's habitual tardiness. _Does this mean __they'll become friends eventually?_

"Since he was assigned to be Naruto's mentor, I've seen a change in him. Naruto has given him hope."

Minato glanced into the sitting room where Naruto was twitching in his sleep. His son would finally be the one to help heal his student's pain? But not for another 15-20 years?

"Thank you," Minato said, finally rising up from the railing. "I'm glad you're here. I'm counting on you and that Kakashi to keep watching out for Naruto. And you can tell Kakashi when you return home, I'm glad he's finally found something to live for besides a mission, and I'm glad he was the mentor assigned to my son."

Yamato bowed slightly, and Minato frowned. "I really wish you'd stop doing that kind of thing," he muttered. "I'm not Hokage yet. And even then, it's too much for an informal situation like this."

Yamato smiled slightly, then gave a small nod and followed the legend back into the sitting room.

Once inside, Yamato went into the bedroom to get ready for the day, and Minato squatted down beside the still sleeping Naruto. The boy was clearly a deep sleeper, oblivious to everything going on around him. Minato debated briefly about whether to let him continue sleeping or not, but then decided that with only about 13 hours left together, he should make the most of it and let Naruto catch up on his sleep in the future. He smirked to himself at that thought. _The future, in more ways than one._

He poked Naruto's cheek the way he often poked Kushina's to wake her up when he was in a teasing mood. Naruto mumbled something about "Sakura-chaaaaan" and swatted the finger away from his face, and Minato grinned and poked him again. "'Tey-bayo," he muttered this time, and Minato's grin grew. _So he inherited that habit, did he?_

"Narutooo," he said quietly, tickling the boy's nose with his fingertip. Naruto slapped himself in the face in response, causing Minato to fall back laughing as Naruto finally bolted upright, staring around him. When his eyes landed on his laughing father, they narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's not funny," he pouted, then his eyes widened. "You're still here! I mean, it's still now!" Minato's grin transferred to Naruto's face, and Minato's expression relaxed into mild amusement.

"You know, normally that would sound like a very odd statement," Minato pointed out in mock seriousness.

"You know what I mean!"

Minato chuckled and stood up. "How about we go find some breakfast?"

Naruto's stomach rumbled and a grimace spread across his face. "I think I'm still too full from last night," he said. "Oi, Dad, what are we gonna do today?"

Minato shrugged. "Well, we could help the townspeople start rebuilding. What do you want to do today?"

Naruto's eyes grew round. "Can we train? I mean, like, will you train me? Or teach me a cool sealing technique or something?"

Minato smiled. "As much as I wish I could pass on your clan's specialty jutsu to you, I think sealing techniques are a little bit outside the scope of a single day."

"Aw, even just a simple easy one?"

Minato crossed his arms. "There are no simple easy sealing jutsus. There's a whole system to learn completely before you even start trying to put any chakra into them."

Naruto frowned. "Oh, really?" he said thoughtfully. "That doesn't sound as fun as I thought it did."

"I think our time would be better spent sparring," Minato said, and Naruto's exuberance returned as quickly as it had left.

"Really? So you will train me?"

Minato made a gesture that was half nod and half shrug. "We'll just start with hand-to-hand combat and see where that leads. How does that sound?"

"Awesome!" Naruto jumped to his feet. "Let's get going!"

"Grab some fruit," Minato instructed him, motioning to the leftovers from the night before still spread on the table. "We'll start with a warm-up run, then a light breakfast. Then we'll get to the actual work."

Naruto nodded eagerly and headed toward the table.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Reviews always help me feel inspired. ;-)

Also, I'm open to suggestions (though I reserve the right to use or not use them) about what the training should be like. That's kind of what's holding me back right now from finishing this.


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